Postby dognose » Fri Jun 01, 2018 6:15 am
BANK FRAUDS
DARING AND SUCCESSFUL TACTICS
A daring fraud has just been perpetrated by a man named Naudorff on the American banking firm of Morgan, Harjes, and Co., 31, Boulevard Haussman. Naudorff lived in furnished apartments in the Rue d'Anjou. On Tuesday last he took into his employment a young man, whom he sent to the offices of the above firm with a letter purporting to be signed by the confidential clerk of Messrs Tiffany and Co., the American jewellers, of 36 bis, Avenue de l'Opera. The lad, to whom Naudorff represented himself to be Messrs Tiffany's confidential clerk, brought back a cheque book. On the following day he was again sent to the bank to cash a cheque for 23,000 francs, and on Thursday a cheque for 35,000 francs. He received the money and handed it to Naudorff, whom he met by appointment at Messrs Tiffany's establishment. On each occasion Naudorff was in the act of descending the staircase at Messrs Tiffany's, and after receiving the money he sent the lad to his lodgings at the Rue d'Anjou, there to address wrappers. On Friday, when the lad arrived as usual at the Rue d'Anjou, he was told that his employer had left on a journey. He promptly proceeded to Messrs Tiffany's, where he was informed that there was no confidential clerk of the name of Naudorff in their employment. On hearing that cheques had been cashed in the firm's name, Mr Tiffany went at once to the offices of Messrs Morgan, Harjes, and Co., and was there shown a letter signed apparently by his confidential clerk, the signature being remarkably well imitated. The letter bore the customary heading of Messrs Tiffany and Co. Mr Tiffany was also shown the two cheques which had been cashed. They bore not only the signature of the confidential clerk, but the stamp of the firm. An active search is being made for Naudorff, who has disappeared.-Reuter.
Source: South Wales Echo - 24th February 1896
Trev.